Paris: City of Light, beacon of romantics and capital of fashion and elegance. Yes, this beautiful city is all these things, but much more besides. More profound than the sum of its famous parts, such as the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe or Champs Elysées, Paris is a city of many layers, its history and present intertwined in a rich mosaic of beauty, grandeur, passion and sorrow. To truly discover Paris is as great an endeavour as to tame a wilderness or scale a giant peak.

Like most great cities Paris is a place of clichés. Do the great monuments, sights and romantic aura of cinema, fiction and travel brochures hold true? Yes, Paris is not one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations for nothing; go out and marvel at the elegant buildings, walk the broad boulevards, visit the museums, soak in the café society and be seduced by those chic shops. This city has it all to offer; just don’t think you can come to grips with a place as big and fascinating as this in one visit. To unravel the many layers that truly make up Paris takes an understanding borne out of many years of experience – some even say a lifetime. (more…)

Some places are so impressively stylish and proportioned that they make you feel trendy just by walking around in them. The Puro Mallorca is a fine example. And naturally it’s a Design Hotel.

Take an historic palacete in the very heart of Palma de Mallorca – just footsteps away from its earthy markets, trendy cafés and harbour area – and add a brief to convert it into something special. Something with Cannes glamour, laid-back Miami languor and über-cool design that feeds off its historic setting and ambient surroundings. (more…)

Officially known as the Cimitière de l’Est, Père Lachaise is perhaps the most famous cemetery in the world – and one of the few that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Many come to see the shrines of such iconic figures as Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison, or just to pay homage to the spirit of bohemian thinking and resistance that seems personified by this spot and the many who rest here.

Located in the 20th arrondissement, the 48-hectare tract was established in 1804 on the orders of Napoleon and has since become a pantheon to the great and famous of France, and beyond. Wandering among the imposing architecture of tombs and statuettes you might chance upon any of a long list of famous names, including Honoré de Balzac, Sarah Bernhardt, Maria Callas, Heloïse and her beloved Abelard, René Lalique, Molière, Modigliani, Yves Montand, Édith Piaf, Karel Appel, Marcel Proust, Gertrude Stein and Georges Haussmann, the man who rebuilt Paris into the grand capital it is today. (more…)

The biennial Paris Car Show is not just the oldest and one of the largest in the world, but also one of the most glamorous events on the annual car show circuit.

The names are familiar to those of us who love cars. Earl’s Court, London, Geneva, Detroit, Frankfurt and Paris. Along with a growing number of Asian car shows these are the industry’s calling cards, the glamorous occasions when manufacturers from across the world show their imminent new models and the flights of fantasy that designers and engineers have moulded into physical shape. (more…)

Austrian-born Markus Glocker is a young chef making a name for himself in the increasingly international world of top cuisine. Having trained under and worked with some of the great names in the business this two-Michelin star chef continues a fine Austrian tradition of producing top gastronomic talent. Glocker currently stars as Chef de Cuisine for Gordon Ramsey at The London, New York.

You trained in Austria and now work for a British chef creating modern interpretations of French classics – which culinary tradition would you say has been the greatest influence on you as a chef?
For me, Austrian cuisine is not meant to be the ultimate fine dining experience but combining it with different styles like British/French makes it more interesting. Austrian food is all about culture, roots and region. Most people’s idea of Austrian food is that it is rich and heavy, but nowadays it is becoming lighter and more interesting, and people are more willing to experiment and accommodate new flavours. There is a new generation of chefs that have left Austria to experience new techniques and flavours, and who are now coming back to apply what they have learned to Austrian cuisine. (more…)